Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-03-25
FLIRTATIONS.

"DO YOU intend to tllrt with him!
This inquiry was from me. Cora was
brushing out her curly name before Mrs.
Ketcham's mahogany bureau.
do | intend to ilirt with him. she
repeated, smiling at her reflected image.
| knew that particular smile. had seen
it before. 1t drew up the left corner of
the mouth a little 1t brought out a GER
tain expression in her eyes which was alb
solutely not to be mistaken.
"Oh. very well. " | observed. "But do
you think him worth while? He struck
me as rather insignificant"
my dearest. every man is worth while
when there's no better. But he is not
so very i'll looking. Anyway, beauty
counts for nothing in man
No. It's just as well so far as Mr..
Whitney is concerned. that it does not. ="
Cora had completed the brushing pro-
cess, had plated the hair into a chubby
braid tied up at the end with blue rib
bon. and now turned herself about medi-
tatively to look at Inc. Presently she re-
marked:
"I on are strange girl. Ellen
"Why?' | ventured to ask.
"Oh, you miss things" She gave her
pressiOns-s sensations.
Civilizations, do YOU mean?' She gave
shrug.
"Well, if you choose to put it in that
way-you We no idea how stimulating it
is. 1t brings out ones best resources. 1t
actually improves ones looks. | know it
improves mine never look so well as
when I'm having a Irritation" She re-
garded herself placidly three-quarter face
In the ketcham looking glass.
Even with as uneXhiarating a speci-
as Mr.. Whitney,"
Eyes. If he is uneXhiarating. Some
times. those plain looking quiet, insig-
niicant men have strange power of fas-
cination. Oh. you needn' laugh.
Il wouldn t dream of such a thing. I
am lost in admiration at your occult
knowledge. | declared.
"Iou could have it. too, if you would
take an interest in the subject-practice
you know"
"Oh, no, haven't the necessary quail
fcations. | am not 81 and-ahem.-
lovely. am % and usually considered
plain
"Oh, looks have not really very much
to do with the matter, Cora was good
enough to say. Neither has age. It's
all in knowing how to manage. Besides
I'm not 81. I'm nearly pa. But there's
no use telling such things. You could
pass for % if you chose-at least, with
the manner Of weighing the matter care
fully, Il think you could.
"Oh, thank you," l yawned. Sup
pose we put out the light now!'
nv no eli
demanded Miss Weatherley in surprise.
1T does seem strange. We've been
discussing such engrossing subjects 1
replied.
AS I was falling asleep l heard a
muffled laugh. An astounding thought
had struck my companion.
Goodness! Ellen, what do you sup
pose would do if had to stop in this
stupid hole SIX weeks without any amuse-
ment at alp she demanded
what do you expect to do? You did
not know there was any Mr.. Whitney,
good looking or ill looking, exhilarating
or unexhilarating, when you came"
My dear, they are building a new
road near the Keteham homestead are
they not? And when there are new
roads building there are usually engineers
to build them. There was sure to be
somebody
"Oh," | exclaimed; and then there
was silence.
1t was understood that Cora Weatherlev
had been sent to quiet place in order to
recruit from the effects of too much
social dissipation. She had, as it is ex-
pressed run down. She herself, in
speaking of her debilitated condition. as
sured people that she had had complete
nervous prostration. Those who could
have seen her IA week after her arrival at
the Ketcham farm, playing tennis in the
June sun all the morning, driving down
in the neighborhood of the new road
every afternoon and sitting out in the
dampness every evening till old man
ketcham came humping around from
the back regions, shutting up as he
went might have been inclined either to
doubt this assertion or attribute it to the
air and milk and other salubrious proper
ties of the ketcham acres curative posi-
bilities of miraculous order.
Whenever looked up from my sketch
ing Cora was either just coming in from
somewhere or Just going out. The spot
of color her red tennis hat made against
the environing greenness got to be a sort
OF perambulating objective point in the
landscape. And it was usually not alone.
On most occasions it was accompanied
either by white straw hat or some kind
of soft cap with visor, both of which
pieces of headgear covered the capital
extremity of a slight, fair haired man of
medium height. This, then. would
say, returning to my water colors, lis
the Irritation. Well, if they both en-
joyed it land to see them laughing and
talking and glancing at each other one
could not doubt that the degree Of pleas
urable stimulation they derived from the
exercise was high, and if Mr.. Whitney
could spare that much good time from
his work to devote to such occupation. it